By Rodd Cayton
What happens when several state legislators and childcare advocates gather in one room in Bernalillo?
“Great success and great fun,” says Kate Noble, president and CEO of Growing Up New Mexico. Her organization focuses on strategies for improving the lives of children from the prenatal stage to age 5.
Growing Up New Mexico hosted an Aug. 5 conversation at the El Zócalo Event Center to bring stakeholders together so everyone could improve their understanding of the issues around childcare; the event is one of several it has planned across the state. Noble told The Paper. she was surprised by the number of home educators who attended. She said she was glad to see those connections made. “Any time you can get 60 to 70 people together on a weeknight in the summer when other things are going on is a win,” she said.
Among the legislators was State Sen. Cindy Nava. “The incredible turnout reflected New Mexico’s shared commitment to our children and the educators who shape their futures every day,” Nava said after the event. “I was proud to stand alongside legislative colleagues, providers, and community leaders united by a belief that every family deserves high-quality, culturally responsive early childhood education.” Other legislators, most of whom spoke, included Sen. Jay Block and Reps. E. Diane Torres-Velásquez, Patricia Roybal Caballero and Yanira Gurrola.
Noble said one goal of the conversations is to break down the barriers to high-quality childcare, and that the attendees’ engagement level was a major step in that direction.
“The most inspiring part of the day was meeting educators who have dedicated their lives to serving families,” Nava said. “For many, this is the first real opportunity to have their expertise recognized and fairly compensated. When we invest in the people caring for our youngest New Mexicans, we invest in stronger families, stronger communities, and a stronger future.”
Nava also spoke positively to The Paper. about the Early Childhood Educator Professional Improvement Act of 2026, introduced earlier this month by U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján. The federal bill contains several provisions aimed at boosting the number of early childhood educators and expanding professional development options.
“This legislation recognizes that expanding access to early childhood education begins with investing in the educators who make it possible,” she said. “For New Mexico, this legislation builds on the unprecedented investments already made at the state level in early childhood education by ensuring we have the educators to sustain it.”